Hello friends! By now it is quite likely that you have heard that I will be starting Seminary at the AFLC campus in Plymouth. Amy and I (and our boys) are VERY excited about this next season of life! We believe this is God’s will for us and the next step forward in our life together serving Him.
However, because of our close relationship with Living Hope (and with you!) we wanted to be clear about a few things, in case you are wondering what exactly this all means.
(1) First of all, yes - our family plans to stay at Living Hope! We LOVE our church! We love our friends, and we love having our boys grow up building life-changing relationships in Promiseland and 180. Being able to stay at Living Hope is a huge part of our PEACE in making the decision to pursue Seminary this fall. It means we’re around - at least for the next three years, and beyond that, who knows? But for now… We’re staying put!
(2) As far as my role at Living Hope goes, we want to honor the request from our Elders to wait until June 6 to discuss details at our congregational meeting following our 9:30 weekend gathering. At that time, more decisions will have been made, and the way forward will be even more clear. We’ll be happy to answer questions at that point and fill you in on all the back story. I’m excited about where we’re going as a church. It will be an good meeting.
(3) I have been in communication with Pastor Bob and the Elders about this, and I have future discussions already lined up with them about how this next season of life is going to work. I’m joyfully under their guidance and authority. We have a remarkable group of men leading Living Hope. Humble, Spirit-led, courageous, love-driven leaders. I trust them. They have clearly communicated their love and concern for our family and for the church throughout these last many weeks. I’m in the process now of connecting with them personally for prayer and good conversation. I’m grateful for each one.
(4) Please keep our family in your prayers. We would love to be able to live on campus at the Seminary, for many reasons, but we are tied to our mortgage right now (as many of you, I’m sure, can relate!) We are not sure how this will all work financially yet. Actually, not even close. But we DO trust God. He’s blessed us faithfully throughout our entire life. We believe He will provide for us, because we believe He’s calling us forward in this direction. In any case, your prayers are much needed and deeply appreciated. Thank you in advance.
We love you all so much. We expect this next season to better than ever. Both in our personal life as a family, and in the days ahead for Living Hope. We’re looking forward to June 6, and the hope on the horizon! If you want to check in and chuck me your two cents, call me any time. I live with my cell phone at the ready (unless I’m in the shower, but that goes without saying). Call me at 763-639-1514 if you want to check in.
Otherwise, we’ll see you at church, and we’ll fill in the gaps on June 6. God bless!
-joshua